At this Mother’s Day season, I would like to introduce to you one of Heartbeat’s favorite volunteers—my Mother!

Since the time of my father’s passing in 2011, she has been faithfully coming in to work with me at Heartbeat International every Thursday. She works hard for at least 5 hours each week, helping our Ministry Advancement team with important mailings and a myriad of other tasks they have for her to do.

She brightens everyone’s day when she comes in, and the staff loves on her and treats her like a queen. It is a win-win for everyone! Mom enjoys being productive and interacting with all the staff. Each week on our way home, she’s all smiles, telling me about what she did that day, and how wonderful everyone is.

Exodus 20:12 commands us to “Honor your father and your mother that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.”

Honor includes prizing highly, which I do. I highly prize my mother. She is one awesome woman, a woman of God who is a prayer warrior for our entire family, and you can be sure we keep her busy in her prayer closet!

She was selfless in raising me and caring for many of our family throughout her life. She is not only loved by everyone in our family, but also what I call the “Betty fan club”—the many people who invite her out to lunch or take her places and include her in their lives.

Though I was an only child, I now have many “sisters” because of all the gals who have “adopted” her as their mother too!

Honor means to care for. October 7, 2011, my father suddenly passed away. Mom, then 81 years old, and my father had been married 61 years. Dad had been incapacitated for several years due to a stroke requiring round-the-clock care. This left a huge empty spot in Mom’s life.

At that point in time, my husband and I invited Mom to move in with us, which she did. It was a difficult period of adjustment for her, processing both the loss of her lifelong partner as well as her own home, and adjusting to life in a new setting. But we love her being with us and we count it a privilege to care for her.

Honor means to show respect for. I have learned that this can take many forms. It is speaking in an honoring way, but it is also respecting her in her limitations, as her 83 years slow her down a bit, or it takes a while longer remembering a thought.

Honoring means preferring Mom over myself by watching Little House on the Prairie and Lawrence Welk with her. I respect her too, for the wisdom she’s gleaned through a lifetime of experiences that she now imparts to me and our family.

Honor means to obey. This is one we learn growing up but I have found we never outgrow it, no matter how old we get. Though adults with lives of our own, there are still times in life when our parents offer us instruction or wisdom, and I have found it’s still a blessing to obey her wise counsel and instruction.

There are so many wonderful things about my mother, I wish you could all meet her and get to know her.

I know you would all love her, just like everyone here at Heartbeat does! And me too!

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!